Dwayne Stephens Position: Assistant Coach Experience: Seventh Year

Dwayne Stephens is in his seventh season as an assistant coach at Michigan State.

Among Stephens' many responsibilities, he coaches the Spartan post players, while also handling scouting and recruiting duties. Under his tutelage, Spartan center Paul Davis was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, including first-team all-conference and Associated Press honorable mention All-America honors in 2003-04, while finishing among the top 10 scorers and rebounders in MSU history. Last season, second-team All-Big Ten performer Goran Suton led the Big Ten in rebounding, one season after ranking second in the conference. The Spartans also finished the season leading the nation in rebounding margin (+9.3) and have paced the Big Ten in four of his six seasons.

Stephens has coached in eight straight NCAA Tournaments, including the 2003 Final Four with Marquette and the 2005 and 2009 Final Fours with MSU. In 2006-07, the Spartan big men led a defensive attack that set a school record in blocks.

Stephens has emerged as one of the top recruiters in the nation. He was named a Rivals.com Class of 2006 Top 25 Recruiter in September, and played a key role in putting together a top-five recruiting class in the fall of 2006. In May 2008, he was listed among the top 20 High-Major Assistants in the nation by Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com.

"Dwayne has made great strides in his coaching," said head coach Tom Izzo. "One of his greatest strengths is his recruiting as he has played a large role in putting together some of the best recruiting classes of my time at Michigan State. He has taken on more responsibilities over the last few years and will continue to do so as he looks to someday lead his own program."

A Ferndale, Mich., native, Stephens was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State University from 1989-93. In his four seasons, the Spartans posted an 84-38 overall record and made four postseason appearances, as Stephens never missed a game in his career. As a freshman in 1989-90, Stephens was a third-team selection on Basketball Weekly's Freshman All-America Team and scored the game-winning basket in a 72-70 victory over Purdue that clinched the Big Ten Championship. In 1990-91, he was the recipient of MSU's Best Defensive Player Award on a squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

As a junior, Stephens was voted Most Valuable Player by his teammates as he averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He was also named honorable mention All-Big Ten and was named the recipient of MSU's Most Improved Player Award. In two NCAA Tournament games, Stephens averaged 16.0 points. In 1992-93, Stephens served as a senior co-captain for the Spartans, averaging 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was named MSU's Best Defensive Player and earned a spot on the Basketball Weekly Honorable Mention All-Midwest Team.

Prior to returning to his alma mater, Stephens spent four years (1999-2003) as an assistant at Marquette under former MSU assistant Tom Crean. In 2001, Brian Wardle became the school's first-ever first-team All-Conference USA honoree. Marquette made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003, advancing to the Final Four in 2003. Dwyane Wade was a two-time all-league performer and earned First-Team All-America honors from The Associated Press in 2003. The Golden Eagles posted a 27-6 record in 2003, winning a Conference USA regular-season title.

Prior to his coaching stint at Marquette, Stephens spent the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons as an assistant coach at Oakland University, where the Golden Grizzlies compiled a 27-27 two-year record. During the `98-99 campaign, Oakland's first season as a Division I member, the Golden Grizzlies posted a 12-15 mark.

Following the conclusion of his collegiate career, Stephens played three professional seasons in Europe.

Stephens earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Michigan State in 1993. His family includes his daughter, Taylor Olivia.